GlasCurtain recently joined the International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE) for a webinar on healthcare design in northern climates, and the full recording is now available to watch!

IFHE is a global organization that brings together professionals involved in healthcare facility design, construction, engineering, commissioning, maintenance, and estate management. Through this webinar, we shared how façade design changes when healthcare buildings are located north of 60, where long winters, extreme cold, and continuous building operations place added pressure on the building envelope.

The session takes a closer look at the Whitehorse General Hospital Fireweed Mental Health Unit and explores how fibreglass-framed curtain wall systems can help support daylight, comfort, condensation resistance, and long-term performance in one of Canada’s most demanding climates.

What You’ll Discover:

We discuss why façade performance matters so much for healthcare buildings in northern climates, where temperatures can reach minus 50 degrees Celsius and the building envelope is exposed to sustained thermal pressure for long stretches of the year. For hospitals and mental health environments that operate continuously, those conditions shape comfort, maintenance, durability, and how consistently the building supports the people inside.

The webinar then moves into condensation resistance in healthcare settings, where moisture at the frame can become a recurring maintenance concern when it returns to the same mullions, corners, or perimeter connections over time. Those repeated conditions can create extra cleaning, monitoring, repair, and coordination for the teams responsible for keeping the building operating smoothly.

From there, we look at why material choice matters at the frame. Conventional aluminum framing is widely used across North America, but because it conducts heat so efficiently, it can become a major pathway for heat loss in cold climates. Fibreglass behaves differently by limiting heat transfer through the frame, helping interior surface temperatures stay more consistent and reducing the risk of condensation where performance issues often show up first.

We bring these ideas together through the Whitehorse General Hospital Fireweed Mental Health Unit, a real-world example of what becomes possible when façade performance and patient experience are considered together. The project uses GlasCurtain’s Thermaframe 7 fibreglass-framed curtain wall system with triple-glazed units and integrated blind assemblies, helping support a brighter, more open environment while maintaining the performance needed for long northern winters.

Feel free to watch the webinar at your convenience and share it with colleagues and friends who are interested in healthcare design, cold-climate performance, building envelopes, and sustainable construction.

We hope you enjoy the presentation! » Watch the webinar here